Storyteller Martha Donaldson

It was a full room at the public library last night as people gathered to hear Mrs. Donaldson relate the story of the Pea Patch Murders that took place in Waresboro in 1930. The story was quite different from what I was expecting. Jim Parker was living with his girlfriend as husband and wife. His wife and baby came to visit then disappeared. He had said that his visitor was a cousin of the "pretend" wife and had returned home to Florida so no one suspected anything.

One day you may get to hear Martha's fascinating story so I will not reveal any more details.

Winifred Watson

Here is an interesting article about Ms. Watson, writer of Miss Pettigrew.

Escape

Almost finished with Escape by Carolyn Jessop. The book drags out the story to the point that it becomes monotonous. It was informative just had too much details to hold my interest steadily. I put it down to read two other books.

For those who are not familiar with the story, Carolyn lived in a religious polygamous community, the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints. I learnt that sister wives do not necessarily get along with each other. They compete with each other for their husband's sexual attention since the more children the wife has, the better her status in the community.

I learned that accepting the plural wives lifestyle was an important access to heaven, but physical and emotional abuse were no obstacles to heaven. Sister wife Barbara abused the other wives and their children. The elderly husband abused his wives except for Barbara teh favorite.

Carolyn portrayed herself as intelligent and rebellious and someone who recognized early the danger that Warren Jeffs would present to her community. She was on Larry King Live some time ago. Interestingly, she escaped with her eight children but one daughter went back to the community.

It's hard to imagine that in this day and age in the United States people live like Carolyn did but she takes pains to point out she was raised to accept this lifestyle. It's a reminder that religious fanaticism is not something foreign and in some far away place.

Okefenokee Book Club Selections 2008

January 18
The Husband by Dean Koontz

February 15
My Grandfather’s Son by Clarence Thomas

April 4
Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen

May 23
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

June 20
Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson

July 18
Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope by Van Ryn and Cerak families

August 15
Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario

September 18
Mockingbird in the Moonlight by Jaclyn Weldon White

October 17
The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

November 21
Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day by Winifred Watson

Miss Pettigrew

I just finished reading our book selection for November, Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day. I loved it. The story is about love and the tangled web that young lovers weave, except this was back in the 1930's.

This book was first published in 1938 and shocked readers at the time. I can see why. One of the main characters, Miss LaFosse, is unable to resist the charms, the influential job contacts, and the money of her three lovers: Phil, Nick, and Michael. She needs Phil for the job contact in the movie world. She needs the intimidating Nick to pay her bills plus she is a singer in his nightclub. Mike is the only one that wants to actually commit to her and get married.

The dowdy, middle-aged, inefficient nursery governess, Miss Pettigrew walks into Miss LaFosse's life one morning and a transformation takes place. For middle-aged here read forty years old. All in one day, Miss LaFosse's love life is transformed and Miss Pettigrew is transformed physically and emotionally. We get an hour by hour story about this transformation.

The tone is light hearted and humorous.

Buying a Kindle? Get a discount!

Buy a kindle, save some trees! Check out the Oprah discount. I don't know Oprah, I like to have my book in my hand. Plus I can't afford to buy books regularly, I borrow from the library.

The Oprah selection, The story of Edgar Sawtelle is the next big bestseller. I heard this is a book that you just can't put down.

Storyteller Martha Donalson

Storyteller Martha Donaldson will be at the Okefenokee Regional Library in Waycross next Thursday, October 30 at 6:30PM to tell the true story of the Pea Patch Murders in Ware County in the 1930s. I can't find anyone who knows about these murders so I will just have to plan to be with the Friends of the Library next Thursday to find out more.

The Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2008 is ....

(drum roll) ... Aravind Adiga, author of the fictional work, White Tiger. Check this site to see the videos of the other candidates for this prize

Jamaican Life

Imagine flying across the world to meet a first time author! This is what a Jamaican man named Mr. Hassan Saleem did. He flew from Fiji, where he now resides, to a London book fair to meet Robert Lalah, a fellow Jamaican.

Lalah's book is titled Roving with Lalah: Slices of Everyday Jamaican Life and it is available at Ian Randle Publishers. I also have enjoyed the column in the Gleaner about Roving with Lalah. I know the book will be a big hit among the Jamaican diaspora.

Books on Polygamy

Well I finished The 19th Wife. I highly recommend this historical fiction. I found the teaching on celestial marriage interesting but still wondered how so many women could have been fooled, are still being fooled, into thinking this was the means to get to heaven. The language was a little too crass for my taste but the storyline was fascinating. Now I am reading Escape, the memoir of Carolyn Jessop who escaped from a polygamous marriage. She was a fourth wife.